Ho Chi Minh City, Catalonia seek deeper investment ties

The push came at the Ho Chi Minh City-Catalonia Investment Promotion Conference 2026, held on Wednesday by the Ho Chi Minh City Investment and Trade Promotion Center and Catalonia's Agency for Business Competitiveness.

The event was attended by Nguyen Loc Ha, standing deputy chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City administration; President of the Government of Catalonia Salvador Illa i Roca; Spanish Ambassador to Vietnam Carmen Cano de Lasala; and representatives of government agencies, associations and businesses from both sides.

Moving beyond potential

In his opening remarks, Ha said the visit by the Catalan delegation was significant to bilateral relations.

"Amid the current global economic context, cooperation between the two sides needs to quickly move beyond identifying potential toward establishing specific programs, projects and partnerships," Ha said.

He noted that Ho Chi Minh City and Catalonia have complementary strengths in industry, science and technology, logistics, and transport infrastructure.

The visit by the Catalan president provides an opportunity to reinvigorate ties, expand business connections and advance specific projects, Ha said.

Ho Chi Minh City aims to become an economic, financial and service hub of Asia by 2045 and seeks to work with Catalonia in technology, innovation and logistics, he said.

The city will continue improving its investment environment and creating favorable conditions for Catalan and Spanish businesses to expand their operations there.

Trade between Ho Chi Minh City and Spain exceeded US$417 million in the first six months of 2026, while Spanish investors have 60 projects in the city with total registered capital of nearly $40 million.

Ha said these figures remained modest compared with the potential of both sides.

Although Ho Chi Minh City and Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in 2009, its implementation has been limited.

Ambassador Lasala said the Catalan president's visit and the business forum showed that investment ties between Vietnam and Spain were at their strongest point yet.

EU gateway and direct flight push

For his part, Catalan President Salvador Illa i Roca said this was his first visit to Vietnam as head of the regional government.

He praised Vietnam's economic achievements amid ongoing global uncertainties and said he was impressed by the dynamism and future-oriented development of its economy.

Catalonia wants to become a long-term partner of Vietnamese and Ho Chi Minh City businesses, offering a stable investment environment and serving as a gateway to the European Union market of around 450 million people, the Catalan leader said.

Catalonia is one of Spain's 17 autonomous communities and accounts for about 20 percent of the country's economy, he said, adding that the regional government is promoting growth through green and digital transformation.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Spanish Embassy in Hanoi, while Vietnam and Spain will celebrate the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations in 2027.

Nearly 60 Spanish companies currently operate in Vietnam, ranging from representative offices to manufacturing plants, in sectors including energy, water treatment, aviation management, railways and metro systems.

Lasala expressed hope that the forum would encourage more Spanish companies to invest in Vietnam, while emphasizing that Spain welcomes Vietnamese businesses seeking to invest there.

Successful projects will help attract more investors, with support from local authorities playing an important role, she said.

Vietnam and Spain both need to pursue sustainable development, create quality jobs and build inclusive economies, she said, adding that their complementary economies offer significant room for cooperation in technology, infrastructure and human resource development.

Establishing a direct air route between Barcelona and Ho Chi Minh City is a top priority for strengthening connectivity and promoting economic and trade cooperation as well as people-to-people exchanges, Catalan President Salvador Illa said.